Supporting the Literacy of English Learners through Phonological Awareness Instruction

Abstract

Strong literacy skills are important for all students, yet many students, including English learners, struggle to achieve literacy. The gap in reading is wide between English learners and non-English learners on standardized assessments. English learners often encounter unique challenges during literacy instruction, specifically a lack of needed prior knowledge to understand texts, limited academic vocabulary in English, a hesitancy to participate in oral conversations, and finally, limited phonological awareness. Phonological awareness is an awareness of the speech sounds of a language at all levels. It has been shown to impact both reading comprehension and writing skills. Since most native English speakers are already proficient in identifying and producing English sounds and other aspects of phonological awareness, phonological awareness instruction is rarely included in mainstream curriculum in the older grades. However, English learners continue to need explicit teaching in this area, especially those who are new to the language. English learners carry with them the sounds of their home language which will differ from English. In this paper, strategies for teaching phonological awareness will be given, as well as supports for English learners in literacy instruction, helping them to overcome the challenges previously identified. The example lesson plan included in this paper is written for a small group reading lesson which incorporates explicit teaching of short vowel sounds to increase phonological awareness. The words used to teach short vowel sounds are chosen from the same books that students will read during the lesson so that phonological awareness can be kept in an authentic context. Visuals of a mouth saying each vowel sound will help students notice the differences between sounds. The lesson will also model the use of various types of supports to increase student comprehension and oral participation.